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González: "If you go behind, things get very difficult"
The coach reviews the loss to Villarreal CF
After the game on LaLiga Matchday 12, RCD Espanyol coach Manolo González reflected on the result, saying that “in the first half, I think we were better than Villarreal. But these are matches against opponents of a higher level, and if you go behind, things get very difficult. The first goal came from a situation that was more or less well defended, but we lacked intensity. When that goal came, we should have been 2-0 up. They wanted to counterattack more than attack, and that made things very difficult. We tried to hurt them with a 3-5-2 formation and then using our wingers, but we weren't at our best offensively, and that limits you.”
“They are a team with a goalkeeper who is good in the air, and they defend their area well. They are strong in aerial duels. It's difficult to score against them, but we had clear chances in the first half. In the second half, we were imprecise when there was a packed penalty area. Villarreal play in the Champions League for a reason. I think if we had taken the lead, the match would have been very different,” he added.
González continued by saying “The team attacked well and we got forward. In the second half, their wingers weren't even going upfield. That's why we changed our tactics; they weren't even pressing. That made things more difficult for us. The level of the opposition also plays a role. It's perhaps the worst possible match to go behind in; it was important for us to take the lead, and the opposite happened.”
“We have to improve and keep working on both defence and attack. We can't get complacent. The season will be long and there will be tough times. The team's situation is still very good. We're sixth or seventh, with 18 points, and with the level the team are showing, we can't afford to rest on our laurels. We need to reinforce the positives and improve the negatives,” he concluded.